Comfort Calling Late
by Mightily Mousey
Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late? Movieverse, ProwlJazz with more pairings to follow. crossover with 'Artemis Fowl' and 'The Fast and the Furious,' "There Is" Series, Betaed by Okami Myrrhibis
1. Prelude: Play Dead

Title: Comfort Calling Late

Chapter: Prelude: Play Dead

Author: SBX

Characters: Prowl, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, First Aid, Perceptor

Pairings: Prowl/Jazz, others to come

Rating: PG

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me. Fic title comes from the lyrics of "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.

Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late?

A/N: This was partially inspired by a Transformers/The Fast and the Furious crossover plot bunny that came out of nowhere, and partially by a drabble that bunnytofu wrote on my request. And I'm not entirely sure how the Artemis Fowl book series got thrown into the mix, but I'm glad it did because it's a very… interesting concoction. So basically this story is a three-way crossover.

Before we start I'd like to make a few things clear. First off, the ship that our staring characters crew is the _Steelhaven_, a lance-shaped starship from the G1 continuity that only appeared in the Marvel comic. It's crew and their duties are as follows:

Prowl (_Steelhaven _Captain)

First Aid (Chief Medical Officer)

Sunstreaker (Pilot, jack-of-all-trades)

Sideswipe (Navigation, jack-of-all-trades)

Perceptor (Chief Science Officer)

Cybertronian specific phrases and their meanings are:

Deca-Cycle: Equals to approx. a year

Orn: 13 days (as I haven't found anything that lists this as an official time unit, credit for this goes to Karategal.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask. Now on with the show!

* * *

_Thinking hurts and thoughts don't rhyme  
To those of us who've never tried  
To find a face behind our lipstick smiles  
And as our pretty faces die  
Our broken hearts will wonder why  
The make-up just won't hide the scars of time_

-"Play Dead," The Birthday Massacre

"Passed away. Departed. Deceased. _Dead._  
Humans have such ways with words. They sugarcoat meanings into euphemisms, thinking it will somehow make the pain less real, less raw. No words in any language could ever make it better. No single word could ever contain the significance of feeling him (friend. comrade. _lover._) die thousands of miles away, hoping against all odds that for once, your heart is wrong."

-gift drabble from bunnytofu

ooooooooooooo

Prowl was losing his mind. The entire crew was certain of it. They had tried to ignore the signs, tried to give their commanding officer time to heal on his own, but now it didn't seem like that was going to happen. For four deca-cycles the usually logical and rational tactician had been descending into a deep depression, the cause of which none of them ever spoke of, and the whole crew had tried to help him as best as they could, in their own ways.

First Aid constantly badgered him about his health, and on six separate occasions had to force Prowl into stasis when he refused for Orns to enter it himself. Perceptor allotted a fraction of his vast processing abilities to performing almost constant scans on their leader so he could inform First Aid of any and all health risks.

While the scientific minded Autobots saw to Prowl's physical well being, the Twins saw to the mental and emotional. When attempts to cheer him up utterly failed, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe settled for making him mad. They pulled pranks and blatantly violated regulations. They did anything and everything they could to get the kind of angry reactions that the old Prowl had been infamous for. Nothing.

They were all at the ends of their ropes when _Steelhaven_'s onboard computer informed them that they were only an Orn's worth of space travel away from their destination. Earth. The planet that the Autobot leader and his team now called home because Cybertron was beyond hope.

This news brought relief to the crew of _Steelhaven_. They thought that if anybody could help Prowl through the loss of his bonded, it would be Optimus Prime. They thought that nothing could go wrong.

An Orn later they all became intimately familiar with Murphy's Law.

TBC


	2. Chapter 1: We've Had Enough

Title: Comfort Calling Late

Chapter: Chapter One: We've Had Enough

Author: SBX

Characters: Prowl, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, First Aid, Perceptor

Pairings: Prowl/Jazz, others to come

Rating: PG (will rise later)

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me. Fic title comes from the lyrics of "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.

Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late?

A/N: Know what the really great thing about the movieverse is? It's mostly separate from the rest of Transformers continuity. Meaning a writer can take certain liberties with characters. Like taking previously one-dimensional characters, such as the Twins, and giving them _depth_. Which is what I tried to do with this chapter, while still trying to stick with the basics of their personalities. I hope I did a good job of it.

Cybertronian specific phrases and their meanings are:

Astrosecond: 0.498 seconds

Breem: 8.3 minutes

Deca-Cycle: Equals to approx. a year

Mega-cycle: 1 hour

Orn: 13 days (as I haven't found anything that lists this as an official time unit, credit for this goes to Karategal.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask. Now on with the show!

* * *

_In the shadows where the heads hang low  
You hear voices as the wind blows, asking "can't you see?"  
Reminding you to breathe  
It's only time before it catches up to you and all your broken luck  
I found a better way to get even with my memory_

- "We've Had Enough," Alkaline Trio

ooooooooooooo

They were slagged. Completely and utterly slagged. That was one of the many thoughts flitting through Sunstreaker's mind as he tried to contact and locate the scattered crewmembers of _Steelhaven_, while at the same time trying to piece together what had went wrong.

Actually, he knew what had happened. Starscream had happened. His surprise attack during the entry into Earth's atmosphere sent the crew scattering in different directions. Reports from First Aid and Perceptor told him that they had landed the closest to their intended destination of Tranquility, Nevada and were within a Breem's distance of each other. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe hadn't been so lucky. They had landed over a hundred Earth miles away, in a large, over populated human city. A quick search of nearby human data streams told Sunstreaker that they were in 'Los Angeles.'

What was worse was that they had landed on completely opposite sides of the city from each other. Sunstreaker felt edgy and unusually bare without Sideswipe there to watch his back. He took some comfort from the emotions that he could feel pulsing through their shared spark. Emotions that told him his brother felt the same way.

The very worst part of the whole catastrophe revolved around their illustrious captain. Nobody could get in contact with Prowl. His end of the com. line was nothing but static. This left only two explanations. Either he couldn't respond, or he simply wouldn't. Sunstreaker wasn't entirely sure which option he preferred.

And to round things off, the rest of the crew was very obviously looking to Sunstreaker for guidance. And it wasn't because of any respect for his leadership abilities. It was because aside from Prowl, he had the most battle and field experience of the five of them. It was a natural reaction to look to the most experienced for leadership, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Arrogant troublemaker that he was, Sunstreaker was still a soldier. He took orders, he didn't give them. But he had to. Because Prowl wasn't there to do it.

"Okay, here is what we're going to do. First thing's first, we all have to pick new alt forms so we'll fit in better. It won't do us the least bit of good if any of us get spotted by the humans. Then First Aid and Perceptor will meet up and find a place to hide out until Sideswipe and I get there. Then we'll all continue on to Tranquility and find Prime and his team. Any questions?"

And leave it to his brother to ask the one question they were all thinking, but afraid to voice. "But what about Prowl?"

Sunstreaker hesitated only briefly before stating firmly, "We'll search for Prowl after meeting up with Prime and his team. They are at this time more familiar with this planet than we are and have access to resources that we don't. We'll have a better chance of finding him with their help than on our own."

Perceptor agreed readily that this was a logical plan of action. First Aid voiced his astonishment about Sunstreaker being capable of producing such a thing. Through their shared spark he could feel his brother's worry. The longer they waited, the more trouble Prowl could be in. He kept this to himself while vocally declaring his support for the plan.

Communications were cut as they all moved to carry out the orders given. Sunstreaker felt at a loss. He had landed on a hill baring large, white stand-up symbols in the local language. He didn't understand the meaning of 'Hollywood,' and as much as he wanted to find out, he didn't really have the time. He had to find an alt form. He had to find his brother. Then he had to lead the rest of their crew to Prime. Why him?

There were no human vehicles of proper size or mass close enough to scan, so he turned back to the planet encompassing data stream, the 'Internet.' He searched vehicle specs and images. Nothing seemed satisfying. That is until he reached one vehicle that stood out amongst the rest. His processor almost came to a complete standstill, he was so in awe of this human built vehicle. It was sleek. It was fast by human standards. It would be faster still with Cybertronian enhancements. He was absolutely in lust with this 'Lamborghini Gallardo SE.'

Through their shared spark he felt Sideswipe's amusement. And amazement. His brother had found the vehicle too and was just as awestruck, but did better at hiding it. A gentle nudge told him to go for it. He didn't have to be told twice. One transformation into a gold colored sports car later had Sunstreaker cruising along human roadways in the direction of his brother.

Unfortunately for him, he hadn't done enough research to be aware of the human concept of 'speed limits.' He did know what human law enforcement vehicles looked like, and was extremely alarmed when two started after him, lights flashing. He couldn't stop. If he stopped it would be revealed that he didn't have a driver, and he wasn't experienced enough with holograms to produce a believable fake. This left only one option. He ran.

Sunstreaker raced through the streets of downtown LA, trying desperately to shake the human law enforcement vehicles that were chasing him. Then, in the space of an Astrosecond, a red Lamborghini Gallardo that was an exact match for his own alt form in all but color was racing right beside him and he felt a moment of peace in the chaos that had become his life. Sideswipe was beside him again. Right where he belonged.

It took some fancy driving, but together they managed to shake their pursuers. Now they needed a place to hide until the heat was off. Sideswipe was a step ahead of his brother, having already done of scan of places in the city that were likely to be large and empty this time of night. The closest was a human recreation area known as 'Echo Park.' Sunstreaker followed gratefully, nerves too frazzled to do much else.

Once they were mostly hidden amongst the trees of the park, away from the roadways, Sunstreaker transformed. Sideswipe followed suit, and wasn't at all surprised when his brother threw himself into his arms. Four Deca-cycles of almost endless stress, caused mostly by their captain's declining mental state, were coming to a head; the final straw being the forced division of the crew.

The Twins held each other, trying to gather strength for the even more trying times they that were certain to come. They were so wrapped up in their own world that they didn't sense the approach of the two life forms at all until one of them let out a surprised exclamation. "What the hell?!"

The two humans stared up at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe in shock. It wouldn't be long before that shock turned into terror. They had been on this planet for only a couple Mega-cycles and they had already exposed themselves to the natives.

Primus, they were so slagged.

TBC


	3. Chapter 2: Never Had to Knock on Wood

Title: Comfort Calling Late

Chapter: Chapter Two: Never Had to Knock on Wood

Author: SBX

Characters: Prowl, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, First Aid, Perceptor, Brian O'Connor, Dominic Toretto

Pairings: Prowl/Jazz, hints of Dom/Brian

Rating: PG (will rise later)

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me except for Zero, and he was only mentioned in passing. Fic title comes from the lyrics of "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.

Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late?

A/N: This…was not supposed to be this long. It really wasn't. It was supposed to be a short summary of the Twins past and how it leads up to current events. I just couldn't stop writing! The chapter three will be shorter. I hope. It'll be about First Aid and Perceptor. Chapter four is where we finally find out what became of Prowl. Five will be an interlude involving Optimus and the gang. Six might be human-centric, but I'm not sure yet. After that, it's anybody's guess where this story is going. -.-;;

FYI, in my mind 2F2F never happened and Brian road off with Dom after he rolled the Charger and they lived happily ever after. The end. :D

Cybertronian specific phrases and their meanings are:

Astrosecond: 0.498 seconds

Breem: 8.3 minutes

Deca-Cycle: Equals to approx. a year

Mega-cycle: 1 hour

Orn: 13 days (as I haven't found anything that lists this as an official time unit, credit for this goes to Karategal.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask. Now on with the show!

* * *

_I've never had to knock on wood,  
But I know someone who has.  
Which makes me wonder if I could.  
It makes me wonder if,  
I've never had to knock on wood.  
And I'm glad I haven't yet,  
Because I'm sure it isn't good,  
that's the impression that I get._

-"Never Had to Knock on Wood," Reel Big Fish

ooooooooooooo

The Twins haven't had the best of luck since the beginning of the war. Fate seemed to be conspiring to make them lose all hope for themselves and the people around them. At least that was what Sideswipe figured after all the bad things that had happened to them.

It didn't use to be like this. They hadn't always been fighting for their lives and sanity. Sunstreaker didn't use to be narcissistic to the point of being a borderline sociopath. Sideswipe didn't use to hide all his fear and despair behind stupid grins and outlandish pranks. It really didn't use to be like this.

Sideswipe was once a merchant. He bought and sold goods. He was good at it. He wasn't exactly wealthy, but he still did very well by most standards. And Sunstreaker was an artist. He had an eye for beauty. He was confident in his abilities, but not arrogant. Not yet.

Then came the day that the war began. Not officially, but it had begun for them. Megatron had been gathering forces in secret, but not all of his troops were as subtle as he, or as patient to wait for the right time. While simply walking down the street they had been attacked by an overzealous Decepticon. They had both recognized him. He had been a good friend of Sunstreaker's. Had been. Not anymore.

What happened next was mostly lost on Sideswipe as he had been knocked almost offline by the first attack. All he could really feel was the anger and betrayal that his brother felt through their shared spark. When he regained consciousness help had already arrived in the form of Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Jazz; but it was too late. Sunstreaker was covered in lubricants, none of it his own. The lost, broken look on his face still haunted Sideswipe's memories.

Sunstreaker wasn't the same person after that. He didn't create any more beautiful works of art. He signed up as a soldier under Prime almost immediately and was trained in combat by Ironhide. He tried to care only for himself on the belief that if he didn't care for anybody else, he couldn't be hurt again. It hadn't worked as well as he had hoped it would.

Sideswipe had tried to hold onto civilian life for as long as possible, but it was ripped away from him when the war went into full swing with the death of the Autobots' Director of Espionage, Zero, at the hands of Megatron. This would have been a serious loss to the Autobots that early in the war if Zero hadn't already had a trained replacement waiting in the wings. As young as Bumblebee was at the time, nobody could question his skills.

After that came countless vorns of fighting. Sideswipe learned to fight through a mixture of watching his comrades in battle and trial-and-error. His brother was apparently a natural at it, and brutal to boot. And sometimes it wasn't always the enemy they had to fight. Some of the less charitable Autobots often joked that Sunstreaker should have been a Decepticon and the only reason he choose the Autobots' side was because the Decepticon emblem clashed with his paintjob. If this was said within the Twins' hearing range, or that of one of their few friends, Ratchet and First Aid often became very busy. So did Prowl, who had to put everyone involved in detention for brawling.

Things only seemed to get worse after Prime sent the Allspark into space to protect it from Megatron. Megatron went after it, leaving the Decepticons to fend for themselves. Without the Decepticon leader there to hold their leads, his troops became uncontrollable. It took all of the resources the Autobots had to keep them from overwhelming the planet. The Twins had been so busy with helping keep their enemies at bay they barely noticed when Bumblebee was sent after the Allspark as an advance scout. They did notice, however, when three whole teams were sent in different directions to track it down.

First to leave had been Optimus Prime's team on the _Arc_, composed of his right hand 'bot Jazz, the Autobot CMO Ratchet, and their main weapons specialist Ironhide. The second team had been Arcee's team aboard the _Hyperion_, crewed by the ever daring Springer, the mild mannered medic Hoist, the mad scientist Wheeljack, and the inexperienced but enthusiastic Hot Rod. It was almost a worst combination than the _Steelhaven_'s own crew. Almost.

The militant strategist Prowl leading the troublemaking Twins and the pacifistic First Aid and Perceptor was a match made in the Pit. After having to only deal with each other once in a blue moon, the five of them suddenly being thrown into close quarters for an extended period of time was its own form of torture. Sideswipe had been convinced that they were all being punished for something and Prime just hadn't mentioned it.

No attempts were ever made to mend the rift that separated the crew of the _Steelhaven_. No attempts were necessary. A chance encounter with a rogue Decepticon ship whose inhabitants had them outnumbered three to one fixed the problem handily. Suddenly having to rely on each other for survival would force even the most hostile crew to set aside their differences.

The Twins gained a new respect for Prowl and Perceptor's analytic processors. They'd have lost for certain without the strategies that their two genii had coined almost on the fly. In turn, Prowl, Perceptor, and First Aid came to realize that they were glad that the Twins were on their side. Sunstreaker's brutal, ruthless fighting style and Sideswipe's underhanded techniques had been to the crew's advantage when backed into the metaphorical corner. Last but not least, First Aid demonstrated that the same knowledge in Cybertronian anatomy that helped him put Autobots back together also helped him take Decepticons apart.

None of them really changed much after that fateful battle, but they all learned to respect and even trust each other, and this broke down barriers that the Twins had been building for years. They learned that while Prowl wasn't much of a talker he was an excellent listener. He also had a wonderfully dry sense of humor that had the whole crew doubled over in laughter once they gave him the opportunity to utilize it.

Pacifists or not, Perceptor and First Aid were actually competent fighters when the situation called for it. First Aid had what the crew later learned was called a 'mother hen' complex on Earth. He fussed over everyone's health, not being able to stand seeing anyone hurt or unwell. This earned him some gentle, good-natured teasing from the Twins, and gratitude from Prowl and Perceptor. Perceptor's driving obsession to know everything that there is to know was still a point of exasperation for the rest of the crew, but they were willing to overlook it for the most part because some of that knowledge had saved their afts on more than one occasion.

In turn, the Twins opened up to their fellow crewmembers. Slowly, painstakingly over time the Twins shared what they had kept to themselves for so long. First Aid was the first to catch a glimpse of the compassion that Sunstreaker kept buried so deeply within himself. Prowl learned that while Sideswipe was proficient at it, he really didn't like to lie about anything. Perceptor was astounded to find that not only were the Twins intelligent in their own right, they were perfectly capable of following his more technical streams of conversation. That didn't stop them from complaining about it though. Eventually, the Twins revealed, little by little, the trauma that made them the individuals they had become. There was empathy and understanding from the rest of the crew, but no pity. The Twins were grateful for that.

Suddenly everything seemed to be going well for all of them. They hadn't found the Allspark yet, or much of anything other than primitive, undeveloped planets. But they had hope, and that was enough for a time. But the one thing that the Twins knew about life was that all good things came to an end. Their short time of peace was came crashing to the ground along with their captain as he screamed out the name of his bonded with such spark wrenching anguish that none of them were capable of undisturbed stasis for orns.

Not long after that came the transmission from Prime, explaining the fate of the Allspark and declaring the planet Earth as their new home. It hurt to learn that their home of Cybertron was beyond salvation, but nothing could be done. Prowl, in one of his last moments of mental stability, had ordered them to change course for the planet Earth. It was by sheer luck that they were close enough that it would only take them a few deca-cycles to reach their destination. Lucky because, had the trip taken longer, their captain might not have survived long enough to reach it.

The arrival on Earth was supposed to solve most of their problems. Prime was one of Prowl's closest friends and if anybody could help their captain through his grief it would be him. Arrival only seemed to bring more problems, though. The attempted entry into Earth's atmosphere in their protoforms became a disaster when Starscream attacked and sent them scattering in different directions.

Though he hadn't mentioned it to the others so they wouldn't panic, Sideswipe had seen Prowl transform in mid-entry and fire on the Decepticon. Then he changed back and sped off in the opposite direction of the other Autobots, leading Starscream away from them. Prowl was probably on the other side of the world fighting against Megatron's second in command. Alone.

Sideswipe would have to speak up sometime, but at the moment they had more immediate issues to deal with. Like reconnecting with First Aid and Perceptor. Like finding Prime and his group. Like the human law enforcement officials that were probably still looking for them. Like the two humans sitting in their driver's seats, directing the Twins down the best roads to take to reach Nevada.

After getting over the initial shock of finding two giant alien robots in Echo Park, Brian O'Connor and Dominic Toretto were surprisingly mellow about the whole thing. It probably had something to do with the fact that they could turn into hot sports cars, but the Twins weren't about to 'look a gift horse in the mouth,' as humans say. O'Connor had even volunteered to help them get to Tranquility. Toretto had looked as confused as Sunstreaker had been suspicious.

"And why would you help us," the gold Lamborghini asked, wary of any tricks. O'Connor's grin was a little sheepish when he replied, "We're kinda on the run from the cops too. We only came back to LA to visit Dom's sister, and our car got impounded earlier today when the cops got wise. We need to get out of the city as much as you do."

Sunstreaker had almost asked why they were being pursued, but Sideswipe stopped him. It didn't matter. They needed the help. Locals who knew the area would be an asset, and drivers would help them blend in more. It was agreed that the humans would travel with the Autobots until they reached Tranquility. After that they were on their own.

O'Connor rode with Sunstreaker, which wasn't a surprise. Research wasn't necessary to realize that the golden haired man was a prime example of beauty in human males. It made sense that the ultimate egoist would want a creature of equal attractiveness in his driver's seat. That was just fine for Sideswipe. He was more than happy to have Toretto at his controls. The hairless one had a sense of humor that was understated, but still delightful. He also seemed to watch his golden friend a lot when he thought nobody was paying attention. It was something that the red Lamborghini could sympathize with, being constantly drawn to his own golden one.

Sideswipe wouldn't say that their luck might be getting better. Experience told him that once he started getting optimistic, something would happen to try to bring them to their knees again. It was better to say that an opportunity had presented itself and they were taking advantage of it while it was still there.

He also tried not to think, "How could this get any worse?" He didn't really want to know.

TBC


	4. Chapter 3: Welcome Home

Title: Comfort Calling Late

Chapter: Chapter Three: Welcome Home

Author: SBX

Characters: Prowl, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, First Aid, Perceptor, Brian O'Connor, Dominic Toretto, Barricade, mention of Blaster

Pairings: Prowl/Jazz, hints of Dom/Brian, Blaster/Perceptor

Rating: PG-13 (Will rise again later)

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me except for Zero, and he was only mentioned in passing. Fic title comes from the lyrics of "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.

Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late?

A/N: Okay, so this chapter wasn't short. And the next chapter won't be Prowl's because chapter four will basically be just a short extension of this one. Five will be about Prowl though. I promise.

A few surprises this chapter. Barricade makes a guest appearance, setting up for a story that takes place later in the CCL time line. Also, I invented a pairing (or at least I think I did)! After watching the interaction between Blaster and Perceptor in Transformers: The Movie, I realized that they would make a pretty cute couple. So I stuck them together. And then made them angsty. Because I'm horrible that way. :D

One last thing before we get on with the story. This chapter is dedicated to sbanchs. Because she is made of awesome. 'Nuff said.

Cybertronian specific phrases and their meanings are:

Astrosecond: 0.498 seconds

Breem: 8.3 minutes

Cycle: 1 minute

Deca-Cycle: Equals to approx. a year

Mega-cycle: 1 hour

Orn: 13 days (as I haven't found anything that lists this as an official time unit, credit for this goes to Karategal.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask. Now on with the show!

* * *

_You're never far  
I will be where you are  
And when you come to me  
I will open my arms_

-"Welcome Home (You)," Brian Littrell

ooooooooooooo

Perceptor knew that his constant scanning of their surroundings and the life forms close by was driving First Aid crazy, but he couldn't help himself. Earth was so unlike Cybertron, so unlike any other planet that they had seen, he really couldn't help wanting to know more about it. Besides, scanning and processing the data kept him from thinking too much about their past misfortunes.

And misfortunes certainly were plentiful for this crew, whether shared or private. Being separated from the rest of the crew certainly ranked high on the list of shared misfortunes. While they had landed with in a breem's distance from each other, Perceptor and First Aid had both landed in an area devoid of humans and human vehicles. They were able to get access to the human data stream known as the 'Internet' and find alternative forms that way. It wasn't the preferred mode of acquiring alt modes, but there was nothing to be done for it.

Perceptor's alternative form was now a Ford E-series modified into a Police Crime Scene Unit, much to First Aid's amusement. "Leave it to you to pick a form dedicated to data analysis," he joked. Perceptor had smiled and wordlessly pointed to the word 'Ambulance' printed on First Aid's chassis. The medic didn't say a word after that.

A quick scan of the area led to an abandoned storage facility that was perfect for hiding until the Twins found them. Perceptor then broadcast a beacon that only Cybertronian scanners could pick up and hoped that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe got there before something unfriendly found them.

Personal misfortunes ran rampant through the entire crew, but Prowl got it the worst. Losing one's bond mate was one of the most painful things a Cybertronian could experience. The circumstances only added insult to injury. Not being there to say goodbye or offer comfort to his dying mate. To make matters worse, the circumstances of their being apart must be tearing Prowl up inside.

Perceptor knew the real reason Prowl was captain of the _Steelhaven_ instead of serving on the _Arc_ with his bonded as originally intended. The tactician and the saboteur had a falling out that the scientist had been unlucky enough to witness, and refused to travel on the same ship together. Prime, desperate to get the expeditions underway, had indulged them and assigned Prowl to captain his own ship. The two bond mates never reconciled. And now they never would.

The trauma suffered by Sunstreaker and Sideswipe before the war even begun was almost unthinkable. Most hurts heal with time, but the pain of betrayal never really goes away.

First Aid had been inconsolable the first few orns after they left Cybertron. Being separated from his team, the Protectobots, was hard on him. He had known the other members of the team since they were all younglings together and viewed them as brothers. Eventually he got settled into his role of medic for the _Steelhaven_, but he never really stopped missing his team. Home is where the spark is, and his spark was back on Cybertron with the Protectobots.

Perceptor's own misfortunes were entirely of his own doing. It was his own weakness that had brought them about, so he saw no need in sharing them with his already burdened crewmates.

A chance encounter with the Autobots chief communications officer had turned into something…deeper. Blaster had taken an instant liking to the shy scientist, something that few individuals did. He pursued a friendship with Perceptor. Once he had secured that, he had started a slow, tentative courtship. Once Perceptor had been certain that these actions weren't actually some mean-spirited prank, he welcomed the advances. Blaster really was charming in his own way, and he didn't seem to mind that the scientist couldn't always give him his undivided attention.

Then the assignment to the starship _Steelhaven_ had come through and Perceptor had been horrified to learn that he would be separated from his suitor for an extended, unknown period of time. He decided that if there ever was a time to take their relationship to the next level it was then. And Blaster had been so eager to finally bring his love pleasure…

They had almost done it. Almost bonded their sparks together for the rest of their lives. They had been so close. But irrational panic had taken hold of Perceptor before they could go too far. Blaster had seen it and backed off in spite of Perceptor's protests that he was fine. He had taken the scientist's face between his hands and looked him in the optics and said, "You're not ready." He had smiled and said they could wait until he got back. Then they simply held each other until it was time to go. That was the last time Perceptor saw Blaster.

He regretted holding out now. Regretted not giving in to Blaster's desires. It was painful not knowing if Blaster was still alive, or if they really would have a chance to try again. If he still felt the same way or had moved on to some other. Someone more willing to give everything to him…

Alerts suddenly started going off in Perceptor's processor, bringing him out of his dark thoughts. A Cybertronian had entered the perimeters of his scans. A familiar one, but not one of his crew. Not an Autobot either.

"First Aid, a Decepticon is approaching our current position," he said, his expression grim. The medic looked up from the wrecked car he had found, a worried look on his face. "Starscream?" he asked, getting to his feet. Perceptor shook his head turning to the only entrance big enough for them to enter or exit. "No, Megatron's espionage director." "That may be worse," First Aid murmured, then looked up sharply as an engine revved near the entrance.

Slowly the Decepticon's alt form edged into the entrance, confusing the Autobots. He seemed to be making an attempt to appear almost…unthreatening. Perceptor could feel him making scans of his own, searching for something in the storage facility. When the scans turned to _underneath_ the structure, the scientist changed the range of his own scans and was relieved when First Aid did the same. Something was wrong here and it was good to see the medic realize it too.

The readings were confusing at first. In a hollow section of the ground were human vital signs. Weak and faltering, but still there. First Aid moved first, hurrying to the corner of the structure the readings were coming from. There, a loose sheet of metal was covering a hole in the ground. It took nothing at all to lift the sheet and what was underneath made both Autobots freeze in horror.

A human child, a _youngling_ for Primus sake, lay curled up, her breathing weak and shuddering. Perceptor forced himself to analyze the situation objectively. He wouldn't be able to hold himself together if he didn't. First Aid didn't seem to be having that problem. His natural inclination to put the health of an individual before his own thoughts and emotions helped him in that respect as he carefully picked the child up and ran scans of her body to deduce the extent of her injuries. It was just as well. They'd have time to fall apart later.

"No injuries beyond mild external abrasions. She's suffering from oxygen deprivation, but with proper medical care she should be fine," First Aid reported after a few minutes. Then he looked up, his confusion and worry starting to show through as he asked, "How did she even get in there?"

A flicker of displaced light and particles, and then a hologram of a human law enforcement officer was standing before them, expression impassive. It was a very realistic and detailed hologram, but the metallic voice of the Decepticon speaking through its lips gave it away.

"Two days ago that child disappeared from her home. The humans weren't doing what was necessary to retrieve her fast enough, so I decided to…step in," the Decepticon explained, hesitating slightly as though not certain about the wording, "I tracked the trail of her kidnappers here. It is my belief that they took her so they could find pleasure in her fear as they buried her alive."

The two Autobots looked sickened. To Cybertronians, harming a youngling was a heinous crime. Even before the war younglings were a rare and precious treasure to be treated gently. To harm a youngling even accidentally was punishable by deactivation. To harm or even kill a youngling on purpose was unthinkable even to a Decepticon. Which made Perceptor wonder…

He regarded the Decepticon carefully, pushing aside his own unease. Even one of the enemy wouldn't allow harm come to a Cybertronian youngling. But what about the younglings of an alien species? Were they protected by the same instincts, or were outsiders fair game?

First Aid seemed to have reached the same conclusion. "What would _you _care about a human child," First Aid blurted out. Perceptor nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I've always been under the impression that your kind disliked organic creatures," he said, carefully analyzing the Decepticon and his reaction.

It was interesting to say the least. The hologram's expression took on an almost…sullen appearance as it replied, "Before the war started, I was one of those assigned to guard and police the youngling centers. My sole purpose and desire at that time was to keep the younglings from harm. Some things…haven't changed from then."

Perceptor wanted to smile, but contained himself. It made sense now. Any significant time spent performing a certain task made that task second nature. Since there are no longer any Cybertronian younglings for the Decepticon to protect, he was making do with the only creature available to him. Humans. It was fascinating how he was capable of ignoring his disgust for organic creatures enough to carry out this self appointed duty.

First Aid wasn't nearly as impressed. "Uh-huh, and now that you've found her, what are you going to do with her?"

The hologram gave the medic a mildly exasperated look. Sarcasm dripped from its words as he spoke, "My intentions were to take her home. But if you'd rather keep her…"

First Aid tried to protest, but Perceptor cut him off. "I sense that the Decepticon speaks the truth. Besides, if he wished any harm to come to her he would have simply left her to the non-existent mercy of her captors."

First Aid stared at the child still cradled in his hands. She still breathed. Her heart still beat. She was safe for now. She didn't need his help. But she did need the Decepticon's, because he was the one who knew were to find her family and home.

The medic turned to the Decepticon's true body, ignoring the hologram for the moment. He glared at the police vehicle as he spoke, "I'll be monitoring the humans' news streams. If her return to her family hasn't been reported within the next 24 Mega-cycles I will personally hunt you down and turn you to scrap metal.

The Decepticon revved his engine in agreement as the hologram nodded and stepped closer, holding out its arms. First Aid very carefully transferred the girl into the arms of the suddenly very solid form. He was about to step back when the girl let out a groan. All present froze as her eyes flickered open, first taking in the police officer holding her, then turning them to the two very large robots towering over them.

The girl blinked up at them, then smiled weakly. Her eyes had a slightly dazed look to them as she said, "This is the coolest dream I've ever had." The hologram snorted at that, its lips quirking into a wry smirk. "Yes, very 'cool,'" he said, turning to the vehicle. As it approached it the passenger side door opened up on its own. The girl didn't seem to notice, already slipping back into unconsciousness.

Once she was settled into the seat and strapped in the door closed and the hologram vanished, only for it to reappear again in the driver's seat. It nodded to the Autobots watching it cautiously before the Decepticon backed out of the entrance and out of sight.

They were quiet for a few minutes before First Aid turned to Perceptor and softly said, "We almost didn't find her." Perceptor shut down his optics for a few moments, not wanting to see the stricken look on the medics face. He was right. If that Decepticon hadn't shown up, he never would have thought to scan below ground level and they never would have found that girl. She would have died there, alone, and nobody would have found her for a long, long time.

"Try not to think about it," was all the scientist could think to say. There was nothing else he could say.

The next few Mega-cycles were spent in total silence. Perceptor extended his scanners again, in all directions this time. He wasn't about to miss something so important again. First Aid did exactly as he had said he would, taking in the local news streams in hopes of hearing something about the little girl.

Only thirty cycles before the twins arrived at their location the medic gave a cry of delight. "He-he did it, Perceptor! He took her home!" First Aid shot his friend an amazed look.

Perceptor smiled at that, relieved that his faith hadn't been misplaced. Then a thought occurred to him out of seemingly nowhere.

"First Aid?"

"Yes, Perceptor?"

"We never mention this to anybody."

"…Who'd believe us?"

ooooooooooooo

After their rather bizarre encounter with the mystery Decepticon, nothing could faze them. Therefore, neither of them were all that surprised by the addition of two humans to their party when Sunstreaker and Sideswipe finally found them. And they weren't surprised at all to learn that the twins had already gotten in trouble with local law enforcement.

"Sunstreaker, can either of you go any time at all without getting into trouble?"

"Slag you, Perceptor."

"You mean they make a habit of this?"

"You too, O'Connor."

The rest of the trip to Tranquility was uneventful if one didn't count the good-natured bickering that the twins and the humans indulged in. First Aid put in his own 'two cents' on occasion, as the humans put it. Perceptor just followed along quietly, enjoying the short reprieve from chaos and confusion. It wouldn't last long.

Once within Tranquility, Perceptor's scanners picked up a Cybertronian homing beacon. Sideswipe became excited when he learned this. "Hey, that means they know we're here," he exclaimed. Sunstreaker, ever the ray of sunshine, couldn't help voicing the alternative. "Or maybe it's a trap."

The red Lamborghini, to avenge his slaughtered good mood, tapped his brother's rear bumper with his front. Sunstreaker, true to form, protested loudly, "Slaggit, 'Sides! Watch the paint!" The two humans laughed at the twins' antics, while First Aid tried to pretend he didn't know any of them.

While the others were playing, Perceptor found the GPS location for the signal, superimposed it over a map of the town, and plotted the quickest course to their intended location. "The location we are searching for is known as 'the Lookout' by the locals. We should reach it by sunset," he stated, reminding the others of their reasons for having come so far.

There was some embarrassed muttering before they got underway again. It was all too easy to let ones guard down when the objective was so close. It was a mistake they had made once before. It had probably cost them their captain. They weren't going to make the same mistake again.

As they came in sight of 'the Lookout,' they could see a small, bright yellow colored 'bot waving at them jubilantly. The cheerful Earth song he was blaring was audible even from so many yards distance.

_"Welcome home, you  
I know you by name  
How do you do?  
I shine because of you today  
So come and sit down  
Tell me how you are  
I know son, it's good just to see your face."_

Relieved laughter floated across the communications link. They were finally home.


	5. Chapter 4: Forget Me Nots

Title: Comfort Calling Late

Chapter: Chapter Four: Forget Me Nots

Author: SBX

Characters: Prowl, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, First Aid, Perceptor, Brian O'Connor, Dominic Toretto, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Sam Witwicky, Mikaela Banes

Pairings: Prowl/Jazz, hints of Dom/Brian, Blaster/Perceptor

Rating: PG-13 (Will rise again later)

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me except for Zero, and he was only mentioned in passing. Fic title comes from the lyrics of "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.

Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late?

A/N: This chapter took forever to write, mostly because the last eight paragraphs were written before the third chapter was even started. Then I had the aggravating task of writing what was supposed to go between the end of the third chapter and what I had already written for this chapter, and it was a pain in the aft. Also, this chapter has a lot more dialog than I'm use to writing, and I really suck at dialog. All in all, this chapter was a pain, but in the end I'm happy with it. Especially the twist ending/cliff hanger. :3 It's about to get even more angsty than it already was folks. Bail out now if that bothers you.

Next chapter we finally get to Prowl and (dun dun dun!) the Artemis Fowl x-over portion of this fic. This is what I've been looking forward to since I started writing this fic. :D

Cybertronian specific phrases and their meanings are:

Astrosecond: 0.498 seconds

Breem: 8.3 minutes

Cycle: 1 minute

Deca-Cycle: Equals to approx. a year

Mega-cycle: 1 hour

Orn: 13 days (as I haven't found anything that lists this as an official time unit, credit for this goes to Karategal.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask. Now on with the show!

* * *

_Sending you forget me nots_

_To help me to remember_

_Baby please forget me not_

_I want you to remember_

-"Forget Me Nots," Patrice Rushen

ooooooooooooo

Bumblebee waited just long enough for Brian and Dom to step clear and the twins to transform before throwing himself at them. "You're here! You're safe! We missed you guys," the excited little mech babbled as he clung to the twins' necks. Sunstreaker made some token protests about his paint job before hugging him back as Sideswipe stared at their assailant in amazement.

"Bee! When did you get your voice back," he asked, sounding as happy and excited as Bumblebee did. Before the yellow bot could reply, Perceptor jumped in with his own question, "How was it regained? Last time we saw you, Ratchet said the damage was irreparable."

Bumblebee's optics shown mischievously as he drew himself up to his full, not very impressive height and said, "That's a secret." Then he gracefully spun out of reach when Sunstreaker moved to thump him on the head in irritation.

Watching all this, First Aid heaved a long-suffering sigh. Then he started violently at the sound of a chuckle behind him. He turned to find Optimus Prime looking over all of them with fond amusement. The medic would never find out how the leader of the Autobots had managed to arrive without anybody noticing him. It would remain one of life's great mysteries.

Once everyone had gotten settled and introductions were made on behalf of the humans that had accompanied the crew of _Steelhaven_ and the two humans who had arrived with Prime ("Brian O'Connor and Dominic Toretto, fugitives." "Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes, college students and saviors of the human race." "…Okay, you got us beat." "Ha!"), Prime started debriefing.

There was a very brief rundown of their voyages through the galaxy ("That's it?" "Sir, you do know how dull space is, right?" "Point."); then an even briefer explanation of their run-in with Starscream ("The slagger almost handed us our afts and we misplaced our captain, what more is there to say?" "Mind your language in front of the humans and don't forget who you're talking to, Sideswipe." "Sorry, sir." "Ha!" "Get smelted, Bee." "Primus help me…"); rounded off by a unusually detailed story of the trip from Los Angeles to Tranquility ("Escaping the police is not something to be proud of, Sunstreaker." "Hey man, have you ever driven in LA?" "…The point is they shouldn't have attracted the police's attention in the first place." "Yeah, you guys wouldn't know inconspicuous if it bit you in the afts." "Hey, not everyone is a super spy, Bee." "Play _nice_, children…").

Once the Ballad of _Steelhaven_ was recited ("Real modest, Sunny." "Slag you, Sides." "Enough!"), Prime and Bumblebee took turns telling the newcomers about their own arrival to Earth and the events that led to the planet becoming their new home ("So you're the one who destroyed ole' Megs?" "Yup." "But you're so…tiny." "He's more capable than he looks!" "Thanks, Bee…I think." "What, are you like the human's pet now?" "Bumblebee, please stop trying to strangle Sunstreaker.")

Eventually the question of how Prime and his group knew they were coming came up, and Prime became very serious. "The United States government has been watching for new arrivals, both Autobot and Decepticon alike. They managed to get satellite photographs of the _Steelhaven_ as it was approaching Earth quite by accident. They informed us of this and together we've been following your progress. Consequently, we have footage of Starscream's attack on your crew." Prime paused here, almost hesitant to continue. It gave those assembled an uneasy feeling, like they weren't going to like what they hear.

"We saw Prowl open fire on Starscream, and then go in the opposite direction that the rest of you were going. Starscream gave chase. They both landed just outside of Dublin, Ireland. That is the last bit of information that we were able to gain." Sideswipe, upon hearing of his captain's inconclusive fate, suddenly found the ground very interesting. First Aid noticed even if the others didn't. He almost looked…guilty? The medic made a mental note to talk to him privately at a later time.

The bad news was disheartening for the crew of _Steelhaven_, but Prime did have some news that should give them some hope. "However, we have already dispatched Ironhide and his human partner, Captain Lennox, to find Prowl. Together they make a skilled and determined team. They should have no trouble finding Prowl." The _"if he still lives"_ went unsaid.

During one part of the debriefing Brian suddenly spoke up, confusion written on his face. "Sunstreaker, hold up. If you were able to get in contact with your crew, why couldn't you just contact Prime's gang and tell them you were coming?" Sam and Mikaela looked from their own conversation at that, both curious about the answer as well.

Perceptor looked like he was going to answer for him but First Aid beat him to it, worried that the scientist's overly technical explanation would short out the humans' brains. "Revolving frequencies," he started, ignoring the sulky expression on Perceptor's face, "SOP for Autobot communications is to change the com. frequency once every five orns, er, I mean sixty-five days. This keeps the Decepticons from getting a bead on the frequency and listening in to secret communiqué. In the time of our separation from the _Arc_'s crew our com. frequencies diverged from theirs. It would have taken too long to find their exact frequency. It was simply easier to find the source of Prime's last open transmission that was broadcast on all frequencies."

Brian nodded in understanding even if his partner still looked a little lost, and First Aid had to wonder if he had some kind of soldier training. He acted like he did sometimes, having shown some tactical understanding and a keen eye that most civilians simply don't have. Then the debriefing got back on track and First Aid pushed the thoughts aside to look into at another time.

Brian and Dom eventually wondered over to talk with the other humans standing by the only tree in the immediate vicinity. First Aid wondered if they were finally starting to feel a little bit intimidated by the increased number of large robots surrounding them. Then again, maybe not. They didn't seem like the type to be intimidated easily.

Perceptor was still taking constant scans of the humans nearby, cross checking with sources found on the Internet as he tried to figure out how humans function. The planet Earth and its life forms were going to keep the scientist's mind busy for a long time to come, which to the medic was a blessing. Wheeljack wasn't the only scientific mind in the Autobots with a penchant for explosive experiments.

The sound of two engines approaching caught the attention of the group of Autobots and humans. A lime green all-terrain vehicle pulled up and transformed into the Autobots' CMO, Ratchet. Ratchet nodded a welcome to the new arrivals before turning to Optimus Prime. They seemed to be conversing over a private com. link, and the grim expression on the medics face told those watching that the conversation wasn't pleasant.

Following not far behind Ratchet was a white and black sports car, and First Aid suddenly had a strange feeling of apprehension. This apprehension turned into alarm when the car turned into a very familiar minibot.

Jazz gave the stunned crew of the _Steelhaven_ a winning grin and said, "Hey gang, what's crackin'?" Sunstreaker looked from him, to Prime's group, to his own crew, and back again to Jazz. Throughout this his emotions cycled from shocked, to confused, and finally settled on angry. All things concerned, First Aid couldn't blame him for the anger.

The gold Lamborghini glared at the smaller bot as he spoke. "'What's crackin','" he hissed, "I'll tell you what's crackin'. Our captain went off the slaggin' deep end because you're supposed to be dead, buddy. He _felt_ you die. Now Prowl is missing, and we find out that he's been suffering for no slaggin' reason. _That's_ what's crackin'."

Jazz's reaction wasn't expected. Instead being worried or horrified by the news, he suddenly looked confused and frustrated. "Okay, maybe you guys can explain this to me, 'cause I'm not getting any info from Optimus and Ratchet," he said, gesturing at the aforementioned bots in irritation, "Who's Prowl and what does he have to do with me and my dying?"

The stunned silence that followed made First Aid's audio receptors ring.


	6. Chapter 5: Shelter from the Storm

Title: Comfort Calling Late

Chapter: Chapter Five: Shelter from the Storm

Author: SBX

Characters: Prowl, Artemis Fowl, Emily Mortadella (OC), mention of Artemis Fowl series ensemble, Starscream

Pairings: Prowl/Jazz, hints of Dom/Brian, Blaster/Perceptor

Rating: PG-13 (Will rise again later)

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me except for Zero, who was only mentioned in passing, Moriah Anders, and Emily Mortadella. Fic title comes from the lyrics of "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.

Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late?

A/N: We finally get to the Prowl portion of the story, as well as the crossover with the Artemis Fowl books. Anybody not familiar with the series should Wiki it first before proceeding any further, or else you're going to be really confused. A few things need to be explained also. First, the Garda Síochána is Ireland's police force. For more information, and a picture of Prowl's alt form, go here. Second, Emily Mortadella is going to make a few reappearances, but she won't feature prominently after this chapter. So no Mary Sue love interest here. Also, an interesting note about her surname. It comes from this meat that is sold in the Publix deli I work in. Lastly, yes, there is a method to my madness of putting Prowl with the dubiously moral Artemis Fowl who seems to be having an existencial crisis of his own. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out what. :D

Cybertronian specific phrases and their meanings are:

Astrosecond: 0.498 seconds

Breem: 8.3 minutes

Cycle: 1 minute

Deca-Cycle: Equals to approx. a year

Mega-cycle: 1 hour

Orn: 13 days (as I haven't found anything that lists this as an official time unit, credit for this goes to Karategal.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask. Now on with the show!

* * *

_I was in another lifetime one of toil and blood  
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud  
I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form  
"Come in" she said  
"I'll give you shelter from the storm"._

- "Shelter from the Storm," Bob Dylan

ooooooooooooo

Prowl cursed himself as he crashed into a grouping of trees. This was ridiculous. Starscream shouldn't have been able to get the jump on them like that. Had he been able to focus all of his keen sensors outward instead of focusing his mind inward on his own problems he would have seen Starscream coming Breems away and had a proper counter-attack ready instead of the impromptu hit-and-run.

But he hadn't. He put his crew in danger and was now separate from them, heavily damaged, and had Megatron's former second gunning for his aft. The day couldn't get any worse.

Prowl forced himself to his feet and opened up his sensors to their fullest. Communications down. Pieces of his armor missing. Starscream incoming and preparing to attack. Native sentient life forms with a Cycle's distance. Earth vehicles…Wait. Humans?

Prowl turned and found two humans staring at him in shock. A human law enforcement official and a human youth. _'Slag it,'_ he thought, then lunged for the two humans to shield them from Starscream's missiles.

ooooooooooooo

Artemis was having a strange day. Strange even for him. Minerva had given him the "it's not you it me, we're better off as friends" speech. That wasn't the strange part. On some level he had been expecting this to happen. What he hadn't been expecting was unsubtly checking out the gentleman she was dumping him for. Artemis graciously accepted her apologies while on the inside he freaked out.

Artemis got the feeling she knew what he was thinking and found it amusing. Minerva often did.

Things didn't get any better when he went home. The twins were perfectly normal in that they drive him crazy without even trying. Teaching them to talk had been easy. Getting them to shut up now that they could was difficult.

Their nanny was the same as ever. A distant relative of the Butler's, Moriah Anders was truly unsettling. The woman had the eyes of a hawk and they followed Artemis wherever he went whenever he was in her presence. Needless to say, he didn't spend as much time with his sibling as he should.

The Butlers themselves were starting to make him wonder. Five minutes into a heated debate over the merits of wrestling versus soap operas left Artemis with the feeling that they both needed to get out more. He always knew Juliet was a wresting fanatic, but Domovio knew more about Genera Hospital and Days of Our Lives than was probably healthy. Or sane.

The final straw had been walking in on his parents making out. In the foyer. Where anybody could see them. Ew.

The day couldn't get any more bizarre than this.

Artemis decided he was fed up with people for the rest of the day and that he needed to get as far away from them as possible. Butler was going to be upset that he took the Bentley without telling anyone but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Fifteen minutes later found him pulled onto the side of the road and sitting on the hood while enjoying an unusually warm and light rain shower.

Three years. He lost three years. Not of his own life, but those of his family and friends. Three years he would never get back. It may not seem like a long time to the fairies who live hundreds of years, but to a human who lived less than a century it was. A lot could happen in three years.

It made him think. Even before he arrived home and saw the tears on the faces of his parents he started to think that making contact with the People might have been the biggest mistake of his life. They gave him back his parents. They helped him become a better person. They were his friends.

But contact with them had made Artemis do stupid things. Make dangerous decisions. Butler's death during the C-Cube incident still haunted his nightmares, even though he still lived and breathed. And now Holly's death mocked him whenever he closed his eyes, even though he had been able to make it so it never happened. The memory was there, and would never leave him.

So he had a difficult decision to make. Then the decision was made for him when he explained everything to his parents and promised them it would never happen again. There was only one way to keep that promise.

Artemis made his final goodbye short and bittersweet. An e-mail to Foaly with a picture of his family, but not _him_ followed by the words "Enough. I've had enough." got the message across perfectly. There was no further contact from the People. It hurt, but it had to be done.

A car horn brought the boy out of his thoughts and he glanced around, smiling when he spotted a familiar Ford Focus Garda patrol car pulled up behind the Bentley. "Good day, Garda," he called as the young woman behind the wheel stepped out.

Garda Emily Mortadella was American born, half Mexican, half Irish, and all good-natured snark. Her attitude left her with no chance of advancement in the Garda Síochána, but she didn't care so long as she got to help people and keep them safe.

Artemis and Garda Mortadella first met not long after he returned home. He'd almost rear-ended the poor woman during his first driving lesson. Of course, she had break-checked him, so it wasn't entirely his fault. A nice lecture on road safety later ("Ya ever ride my ass like that ever again, boy, and I'll toss yours in jail so fast that your head'll be spinin'."), and Artemis and his father were on their way home with the feeling that they had barely escaped with their lives. Artemis Fowl Sr. didn't accompany his son on anymore driving lessons after that.

Mortadella grinned as she approached her favorite boy genius. "Hey, jailbait," she called, "Your family drivin' you crazy again?" There was no way she believed he was nineteen, no matter what his records said.

Artemis shrugged as the guard parked herself on the hood next to im. Their stories never really changed when they ran into each other like this. He complained about how insane his family had gotten in his absense. She complained about the idiots she had to work with. It was catharic for both of them.

Mortadella rolled her eyes at his lack of reply and probably would have persued the subject had a loud, thunderous roar cut throught the silence

While the garda looked around them for the source, Artemis turned his eyes heavenward. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. A giant ball of fire was cutting through the air, heading for their general vicinity. Quick mental calculations and he knew that it would hit a copse of trees a few hundred yards away from the road. And them.

Artemis tackled Mortadella off of the hood and behind the relative shelter behind the Bentley. Her startled cry turned into a scream of terror as the object struck the ground and shook both earth and them. Then there was the sound of metal striking metal and they were scrambling out of the way as the Bentley was sent tumbling by a piece that had broken off the object crashed into it. The car eventually settled back on its wheel by some miracle, but it was totalled. The Focus was miraculously unharmed.

'_Butler is not going to be happy,'_ Artemis found himself thinking inanely before he got his mind back on track. He and the garda pushed themselves to their feet cautiously, gazing at the smoking, steaming crater in astonishment.

A new sound brought Artemis' attention back to the sky, this time seeing a approaching fighter jet. American, is he wasn't mistaken. The jet triggered something in his memory, bringing with it a suspicion. Movement from the crater confirmed the suspicion as a large, humanoid form stood up. Mortadella moved to stand in front of him, not that it would have done any good. She couldn't protect him from these creatures.

He shouldn't even know about them. If he hadn't let his curiousity get the better of him, he wouldn't have. He could have let the American government tell their nonsense stories of military experiments gone wrong to explain the destruction of Mission City, but he had to know the truth. And he found it in Department of Defense's most classified files. Giant robots from outer space. Some came to protect Earth, but most came to destroy it. It made him want to know more, but bitter experience made him back off. He had found what he needed anyway.

The form in the crater turned to the two humans, looking almost alarmed to see them. Then the sound of missiles incoming jolted everyone into movement. The robot lunged forward to shield them both as Mortadella did the same to Artemis.

'_Thank you Murphy's Law,'_ he thought as the world shook around them again.

ooooooooooooo

The missiles had either been a warning shot or incredibly bad aim as they had struck the already damaged human vehicle, destroying it completely. Prowl was more inclined to believe the latter. Starscream didn't give warnings.

He needed to get the humans to safety. The female was unconscious, the force of the explosion tossing both of them a few feet even with the Autobot tactician taking the brunt of the force. The boy was dazed at first but soon regained enough awareness to make sure his companion was still alive. Then he looked the robot looming over them right in the optics and said, "Don't worry about us, we're fine. Shoot the blasted thing out of the sky already!"

There was an authority in the human's voice the Prowl immediately responded to and didn't take the time to think too much about. There would be time for that later. He quickly scanned the closest functional vehicle; that of the law enforcement official's. Starscream turned around for another pass as the new exo-structure slid into place over his protoform.

The tactician then went to work doing what he did best. He analyzed the situation and came up with the best solution to the problem. The best solution presented itself as Starscream prepared to fire again, leaving an opening far too easily exploited.

Prowl pulled his dual side arms from their storage on the outside of his legs, using one to target the missiles and the other to penetrate the hatch they were launched from.

The Decepticon let out a pained and furious screech as he fought to keep altitude.

For a moment Prowl thought Starscream would try again in spite of the heavy internal damage just dealt him, but with relief the Decepticon turned tail and ran with a short, hate filled transmission, "This isn't over, Autobot!"

Had he been any other mech he would have rolled his optics at the Decepticon's unoriginality. It was always the same tune with Starscream.

"Well, that was cool," the voice of the female drew his attention back to the humans. The female was leaning against the male for support, still looking dazed but slowly gaining more awareness as the moments dragged on.

Prowl did a quick search on the human 'World Wide Web' for the phrase 'cool.' She couldn't have meant it literal meaning. It didn't make sense. Once he knew vernacular meaning of the word, he found himself smiling in pride. Appreciation was always most, well, appreciated. "Thank you," he murmured as he knelt so that he was closer to their level.

The female grinned back and the male snorted in amusement. "No, thank _you_," the boy countered, "You saved our lives."

Prowl shook his head. "No thanks are needed. It is my duty as an Autobot to preserve sentient life whenever possible." The boy nodded in understanding while the female looked confused. The Autobot got the feeling the male knew a lot about his kind already. Perhaps more than he should.

"Autobots are, like, the good guys, right?" the female questioned nervously, eyeing his side arms with a healthy amount of suspicion. The boy answered the question before Prowl could formulate a suitable response.

"Autobots are a race of benevolent sentient robots from the planet Cybertron who wish to preserve life. Their enemies are the Decepticons, a malevolent faction of the same race that wishes to destroy life. Our fighter jet friend was undoubtedly a Decepticon."

The female suddenly smiled, understanding dawning. "Autobots are good guys. Gotcha," she chirped happily, not questioning how the boy even knew so much. Prowl's suspicions were confirmed. The male knew more than he should about their kind. The question was, how?

Said boy looked thoughtful for a moment before extending his right hand in a gesture that Prowl's research on the planet confirmed as a welcoming gesture. The tactician extended his own gingerly and the boy grasped it as the shook gingerly, the robot worried he might accidentally harm the human.

The boy grinned as he spoke. "I am Artemis Fowl the Third. My wobbly friend here," he ignored her indignant protests, "is Garda Emily Mortadella. We both welcome you to our planet."

Prowl found himself smiling almost against his will, finding the two humans' good humor almost contagious. "Your welcome is accepted gratefully, Artemis Fowl the Third."

ooooooooooooo

Once Mortadella was fine to drive herself, she was off with the promise that she wouldn't repeat any of what she saw or heard. "Who would believe me, anyway," she joked in parting before driving off, leaving Artemis alone with a giant robot from outer space and the smoldering wreckage of the Bentley.

Prowl caught the forlorn looks the boy kept giving the car that wasn't a car anymore. He apologized profusely for his own part in the vehicle's destruction, but Artemis waved him off. "Give me a ride home and we're even," he teased, but the Autobot took the request very seriously and transformed into his alternate form, an exact replica of Mortadella's Focus except for the modified insignia on the sides.

Artemis tried to engage the Autobot in conversation on the ride back to Fowl Manor, but Prowl avoided answering any questions about his allies in the States, giving the impression he wasn't looking forward to rejoining them, and outright refusing to explain why. The line of questioning made him seem almost…sad.

Artemis caught himself wondering if he could do something about that. No way. He would not travel down that road again. It was dangerous enough that he had even made contact with one of these beings, he did not need to make himself and his family a target be getting directly involved. He had a promise to keep.

But he did owe the Autobot, not only for his life, but also for Mortadella's. And if Prowl wanted to avoid contact with his own kind, maybe they would become a danger for the Fowl family.

Artemis debated with himself heavily, even when Prowl pulled to a stop outside the closed gate of Fowl Manor and opened the door for the boy to step out. "It was a pleasure meeting you Artemis Fowl," Prowl said honestly, then added almost as an after thought, "Even if you are far too inquisitive for your own good."

Artemis shrugged at that and grinned wryly. "So I'm curious. I can't help it if I need to know everything that I can possibly know."

Prowl would have given him a steely stare had he had optics at the moment, but settled for revving his engine in warning. "Well, do try to curb those tendencies. They could get you in trouble," he advised.

Artemis suddenly found the ground very interesting as he replied, "They already have, but thanks for your concern anyway." He looked up and gave the robot a sad smile. "It was nice meeting you too."

ooooooooooooo

As Prowl was about to pull away, Artemis suddenly called out, "Wait!" The Autobot paused, regarding the young human curiously.

Artemis looked…indecisive. Prowl got the feeling during their short acquaintance that this wasn't something he experienced very often. The boy stood in the rain, trying to sort through his thoughts and Prowl wished he'd go inside already before he caught some illness. Finally, after long moments of silence he smiled and spoke, "Do you need a place to stay?"

That was…unexpected. And impossible. He had responsibilities. His crew-

Prowl felt a new surge of hopelessness return from were he had managed to banish it to when Starscream attacked. His crew didn't need him. He had failed them the past few Deca-cycles. They had learned to function without him. And Optimus Prime didn't need a tactician that couldn't function properly without his bond mate.

Funny how he'd forgotten all of his pain while in the presence of a young human who was too intelligent and willful for his own good…

Prowl reversed and turned around before driving back to Artemis to stop with his front bumper inches from the boy's knees. "Yes, a place to stay would be most appreciated," he said, allowing some of his gratitude leak through.

The way Artemis' face lit up convinced him that he was making the right choice.


	7. Intermission I:  Trouble

Title: Comfort Calling Late

Chapter: Intermission I: Trouble

Author: SBX

Characters: Sam, Barricade, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, mention of everybody else

Pairings: pre-Bumblebee/Sam

Rating: PG-13 (Will rise again later)

Warnings: character-death, mentions of bad stuff being done to kids

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me except for Zero, who was only mentioned in passing, Moriah Anders, and Emily Mortadella. Fic title comes from the lyrics of "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.

Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late?

A/N: Sorry this took so long. School and work are conspiring to keep me from writing.

This intermission chapter was supposed to detail all of the events that lead up to Jazz's resurrection, but it was getting too long. So now the intermission is being broken up into two parts, the second part coming later after a few more chapters, leaving a pretty decent cliffhanger. Because I'm evil that way. :3

And sorry if Barricade seems a little OOC in this chapter. He's still a little off balance after the events of Mission City and trying to find a place for himself again. He'll be his gruff, irritable self again in no time. ;)

Cybertronian specific phrases and their meanings are:

Astrosecond: 0.498 seconds

Breem: 8.3 minutes

Cycle: 1 minute

Deca-Cycle: Equals to approx. a year

Mega-cycle: 1 hour

Orn: 13 days (as I haven't found anything that lists this as an official time unit, credit for this goes to Karategal.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask. Now on with the show!

* * *

_And I never meant to cause you trouble,  
I never meant to do you wrong,  
And I, well if I ever caused you trouble,  
And oh no, I never meant to do you harm._

-"Trouble," Coldplay

ooooooooooooo

It all started with, of all things, a fight. Their first fight. Over something that was so stupid in hindsight.

Sam had been considering joining the Army. He had researched the idea for week, weighed the pros and cons, and when all else failed he asked the opinions of his friends.

Mikaela had laughed herself sick when he first mentioned it, but once she realized he was dead serious she had been totally supportive. "What ever you do, Sam, I'm behind you all the way." Nice sentiment and completely appreciated, but it didn't help him make up his mind.

Next he went to Lennox and Epps. They hadn't been much help either. Lennox had skirted around the actual topic, not trying to dissuade him, but not telling him to go for it either. Epps waved off the idea of joining the Army all together and suggested he join the Air Force "where the real skill was," completely ignoring his Army friend's indignant glare. No help there.

Asking Maggie or Glen what they thought was probably a waste of time, so Sam skipped them and went straight to the Autobots.

Optimus had been just as evasive in answering as Lennox had been. He was starting to think this was a trait naturally wired into leader types. His answer, in fact, was almost the same as the Army Ranger's. "While I'm certain you would make a good, courageous soldier, a fact you have already proven, you should consider all possible alternatives before deciding on a course of action. You do not want to make a choice you might regret." Yeah, thanks Prime. Big help.

Ratchet was completely noncommittal in his answer, even going as far as to say "No comment." The only help thing he really said was, "If you do choose to become a soldier and you lose a limb in battle, I'd be more than happy to provide you with a cybernetic replacement." Sam had thanked the medic for the offer and left the makeshift repair bay feeling more than a little freaked out. Later he realized that was probably the idea and made a resolution to never underestimate Ratchet's morbid sense of humor again.

Ironhide had been eager to provide his support for the idea, even going as far as to volunteer to help train the boy, cannons whirling and clicking in his excitement. Sam had politely told the trigger-happy mech that he would consider it and beat a hasty retreat. Sadly, that was the only real answer he got from his whole ordeal.

That left his last resort. Bumblebee. Sam had been trying to avoid letting his parents and his guardian in on his plans until he was sure of them, but now he was at a dead end and decided on asking the lesser of the two evils. So to speak.

He already knew the answer anyway.

True to form, Bumblebee had been vehemently against the prospect, and while Sam had tried to argue his point rationally, the Camaro had been beyond rational, even refusing to open his doors when the boy had gotten fed up and tried to leave.

"Goddammit, Bee! Let me out!"

"No! Not until you abandon this ridiculous idea of putting your life in danger senselessly."

"It's not ridiculous and it's my choice. You can't tell me what to do."

"I am your guardian and I can't guard you if you're on another continent getting shot at by other humans."

"I don't need you to watch me 24/7. I can take care of myself. I took out Megatron, didn't I?"

"Through a combination of outside aid and dumb luck! If it hadn't been for me you wouldn't have lived long enough to even get the chance. You need me to protect you."

"Dammit, I don't! I don't need you at all, for anything! I survived just fine before you came along, and I'll survive when you've grown tired of me and left!"

The silence that followed made Sam's ears ring and he realized that he made a very stupid mistake. He opened his mouth to speak, to try to fix what he had just broken, perhaps irreparably, but then Bumblebee made a strange wailing sound. It was half anger, half despair, and completely heartbreaking to hear. The Camaro braked suddenly, the door opening and the seat shifting to fling Sam out of the car.

Before Sam could even stand up, the Bumblebee had already taken off again, tires squealing as he put distance between himself and the human. This left said human completely alone in the middle of the worst part of Tranquility in the middle of the night. And when he finally stood up and looked around, the boy spotted Barricade parked across the street, his holoform staring at him in bewilderment.

Well, shit.

ooooooooooooo

Barricade had been trying to stay out of trouble. Being the last remaining Decepticon on this backwater planet made him rethink his priorities. The final showdown in Mission City had played a big part in this decision.

He'd seen Optimus Prime take down Bonecrusher and had been torn between transforming and attacking, and doing the sensible thing and running. It was foolish to face Prime and certain death, but cowardly to run away like those tri-cursed Seekers tended to. Barricade was anything but cowardly.

The decision was made for him, supplying a not thought-of third option, with a simple sound. A sound that was nearly universal, regardless of species or planet of origin. A sound that rubbed against long buried and forgotten instincts, destroying any other desire in the Decepticon's mind other than the desire to find that sound and fix what was wrong. I was the terrified crying of a child. A youngling.

Before he even realized what he was doing Barricade had driven off to find the source of the crying, not realizing that his movement had alerted the Autobot leader to his presence.

Prime had watched in growing amazement as the Decepticon used his holoform to pull a frightened little girl and her unconscious mother from a wrecked car. He had murmured reassuring words to the child in a strange mixture of English and Cybertronian, calming her to the point where her sobs turned to sniffles, then to silence. In that moment Optimus had been reminded of the mech he had once known so long ago, who protected Cybertron's future with an unfailing determination.

It was not surprising, though. While Barricade was a tough, hard-hitting warrior, he was not vicious the way other Decepticons were. He killed Autobots without hesitation, but seemed to get no more pleasure out of it than one usually got from victory over an opponent. Often he seemed to have more distaste for his comrades than his enemies.

All of this painted a picture in Prime's mind of a mech who had been thrust into a different and difficult situation. The closing of the youngling centers not long into the war, when all the younglings had grown and were no longer in need of protection had changed things. No longer having a purpose, Barricade became free game for recruitment.

Optimus was left with his own choice to make. What he should do is separate the Decepticon from the humans and eliminate him while he had the opportunity. What he wanted to do was give Barricade the benefit of the doubt. In the end his better nature won out.

_:Barricade:_ Prime transmitted. The holoform's head shot up and in his direction, staring with the beginnings of panic. This was a moment of weakness that the Autobot leader could very easily take advantage of. Optimus had no intention of doing so, however. In fact, he fully intended to keep it to himself for the time being.

Now certain that he had Barricade's attention, Prime sent another longer, but extremely to the point message before transforming and continuing on his way to Mission City. The Decepticon stared after him in confusion, trying to wrap his processor around that message.

_:Barricade, do yourself a favor and try to stay out of trouble.:_

It made no sense for Prime to just let him go, but Barricade wasn't the sort 'to look a gift horse in the mouth' as the humans say.

In the end he decided to err on the side of caution for once and do what was suggested. He stayed with the girl and her mother until paramedics came. Then he continued on to Mission City at a sedate pace, in no hurry to join the battle that he could sense was taking place.

Only a few blocks away from the battle that the Decepticon could hear reaching its climax, a pair of frantic parents enlisted his aid in finding their two children who had gotten separated in the panic and chaos.

By the time Barricade finally reached the battlefield it was all over. They were all gone Brawl. Bonecrusher. Blackout. _Megatron._ Starscream was nowhere to be found and not answering any attempts at communication. He had probably run, the coward. Attempts to contact Frenzy were met with static, and Barricade knew that, somehow, the frenetic little hacker was gone too.

He was alone on this planet, the last Decepticon on a world with organics that would fear him if they knew he existed and Autobots who would destroy him if he put a toe out of place, so to speak. He could always leave the planet but…he had nowhere else to go. Cybertron was now a lost cause.

So with nothing better to do he tried the Autobot leader's suggestion and stayed out of trouble. He put himself to work to avoid thinking about how out of place and alone he was. It was surprisingly easy to slip back into his old role of protector of younglings and found a certain satisfaction that had been missing from his life since the war started and the youngling centers closed.

The idea to take a more active roll in defending the human younglings was sparked by a report that a missing child that had been missing for a week had been found alive. Brutally assaulted and mutilated, but alive. The thought that it shouldn't have taken so long, that the child could have been saved so much pain if the human police had done more, had moved faster wouldn't leave him.

There in lay the problem with the American justice system. The police were tied down by so many procedural restrictions that they hardly ever got anything done. Fortunately, Barricade was faced with no such restrictions.

The next time a child was reported missing over his police scanner he rolled into action, using the child's DNA to track him and his kidnapper. Within 24 hours the child was back home with minimal emotional trauma and the kidnapper was in the hospital in critical condition. Barricade may have been a little rough on the man.

It became the new pattern of his life to patrol the parks, schools, and playgrounds during the day, and hunt down those who were dangerous to younglings at night. Later he would wonder if it was worth the trouble his night prowling brought him, but there was nothing for it now.

He had been tracking a suspected child predator when all the trouble started. While parked outside the man's apartment his scanners picked up an approaching Autobot. He tensed preparing to run or fight; whichever was necessary.

Barricade relaxed slightly when he saw the familiar yellow Camaro approaching. Of all of Prime's soldiers, Bumblebee was least likely to attack without provocation. The Decepticon didn't sense any return scans so perhaps the young Autobot hadn't noticed him yet.

Suddenly without warning the Camaro braked, tires squealing. The driver's side door popped open and a human came tumbling out. Once the boy was out, Bumblebee tore off, weaving shakily.

Barricade simply stared at the odd spectacle, unable to comprehend the fact that Bumblebee, one of the Autobot's most noble mechs, had just left his human ward in the middle of the road in the worst part of Tranquility.

When the boy stood up and noticed him, the Mustang once again felt the urge to run. The feeling doubled when the human's eyes narrowed and he started toward him.

Well, slag.

ooooooooooooo

Sam was not happy. He wasn't happy with himself for the stupid things he said to Bumblebee. He wasn't happy with Bumblebee for leaving him alone on the side of the road. And he really wasn't happy with Barricade for witnessing the whole humiliating event.

As he advanced on the Decepticon, the boy had no delusions that he could actually do any damage to the robot. All he wanted was to get a good kick to the tire in before he had to run for his life.

However, when Barricade actually started to back away from him, Sam stopped, too baffled to hold onto his anger. The Mustang paused in his retreat as well and the two stared at each other. Sam took a few steps forward and Barricade backed up an equal distance. This happened a few more times before the boy finally got fed up.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Sam finally snapped, frustration with the world in general suppressing any fear he may have normally felt.

The Mustang shifted on his wheels in a manner that the human had long learned was the car equivalent of a shrug. The holoform looked almost sheepish as Barricade replied, "Trying to stay out of trouble?"

Sam blinked. He blinked again. "Oh," he said intelligently. Then he shrugged, sat down on the curb in front of the Decepticon, and proceeded to sulk.

ooooooooooooo

Barricade for his part had no idea of what to do. He could simply leave the human here and be on his way, or he could stay with him until the Autobot got over whatever snit he was in and returned for his human.

Both options held problems. If he left then Witwicky would be left vulnerable in a dangerous area and if anything happened to the boy the Decepticon would be held indirectly responsible by the Autobots. If he stayed, the yellow bug would probably get the wrong idea and attack. It was a no win situation.

Barricade gave a mental sigh as he made himself comfortable again. The boy didn't seem to be willing to start anything anymore so he could get back to his stakeout.

His engine sputtered in alarm as he returned his sensors to scanning the apartment and found it empty. The suspect had left during the distraction.

The boy jumped in fright, suddenly nervous in his presence. Barricade ignored him, casting his sensors in all directions to pinpoint the suspect's new location. He couldn't have gotten far.

The Decepticon found the man and was able to shout a warning just seconds before he fired his gun. "Boy, run!"

The boy was on his feet and moving with surprising speed, experience telling him not to take an order like that lightly. However, he wasn't fast enough.

The first three shots hit the driver's side of the Mustang and bounce off without leaving a scratch. When the shooter got frustrated with trying to damage the police car, he turned his sights on a more vulnerable target.

Barricade shot forward, hoping to run the man down before he could do any actual damage. The man was able to squeeze off one round before the Mustang clipped him, sending the human flying into a light post and unconsciousness.

The sound of another human body hitting the ground rang in the Deception's audios and he knew he had been too late. The holoform was at the boy's side in a second, taking in the bullet wound in the back as he lifted the human up.

Witwicky stared at him in pain and confusion, but no fear. "W-why?" he croaked, then coughed, blood coming up and staining his lips. The holoform looked solemn as he moved the injured boy into his passenger side.

"Why did he shoot at us or why did I try to save you?" he asked in turn. The door shut and belts snaked out and secured the boy to prevent any further damage during transit.

Witwicky whimpered as the seat back came in contact with his injury and he passed out, leaving both questions unanswered. It was just as well. Barricade didn't really have any answers anyway.

The hurried rush to the hospital was a blur as he tried not to think about how badly things could go if he wasn't careful. He called ahead to the hospital so they would be ready when he got there. The doctors and nurses were waiting at the ambulance drop off for him as he pulled up. Barricade tensed as the humans swarmed his passenger side, pulling the door open and removing his charge carefully from the seat and onto a stretcher. While he didn't mind the younglings being close, the adults rubbed him the wrong way.

A nurse pause briefly and gave the holoform an annoyed look. "You should have called for an ambulance," she snapped. Barricade glared back. "They would have been too late. He would have died had I waited," he snarled back.

The nurse frowned, then sighed. "He may still die. That bullet was way too close to his heart." With that she was gone, leaving the words to sink into the Mustang's processor. He sagged on his wheels, suddenly feeling very tired.

Over the next hour he kept all his sensors trained on the operating room and the frantic fight to keep the boy alive. It wasn't working. Barricade wasn't surprised when he heard the death kneel of the heart monitor, his own sensors confirming that the boy's heart had stopped and there was no hope of revival.

The Decepticon sent a quick transmission to the Autobots, explaining the entire situation. Before he could close the channel and flee Bumblebee's agonized, subsonic wail leaked through the com. and made him flinch. He needed to get as far away from the hospital as possible.

As he fled, Barricade couldn't help but think wryly, _'So much for staying out of trouble.'_

TBC


	8. Chapter 6: Run Riot

Title: Comfort Calling Late

Chapter: Chapter Six: Run Riot

Author: SBX

Characters: Perceptor, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Brian, Dom, Sam, Epps, Simmons, Bilkins, mention of others

Pairings: Prowl/Jazz, hints of Dom/Brian, Blaster/Perceptor

Rating: PG-13 (Will rise again later)

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me except for Zero, who was only mentioned in passing, Moriah Anders, and Emily Mortadella. Fic title comes from the lyrics of "Every You Every Me" by Placebo. 

Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late?

A/N: I blame the time it took to finish this chapter on school. My workload is so bad this semester that it's just about crushing my creativity. I finally just had to set my personal projects aside and focus on school or would have lost my mind. You know you've got serious writer's block when you get halfway through a sentence and can't think of how to finish it. That same sentence, once apart of this chapter but got pushed back to the next one, is still sitting on my computer, unfinished. But it will be finished, along with the rest of the chapter very soon. Like, end of next week at the latest. 

Cybertronian specific phrases and their meanings are:

Astrosecond: 0.498 seconds

Breem: 8.3 minutes

Cycle: 1 minute

Deca-Cycle: Equals to approx. a year

Mega-cycle: 1 hour

Orn: 13 days (as I haven't found anything that lists this as an official time unit, credit for this goes to Karategal.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask. Now on with the show!

* * *

_You know the time has come  
Run, run riot, come on, run with me  
Run, run riot  
Run, run riot  
I'll take you from your misery  
Come on, stick with me_

- "Run Riot," Def Leppard

ooooooooooooo

Brian was starting to realize that what was originally a temporary alliance with the crew of the _Steelhaven_ was turning into something more permanent. Two days after the meeting at the 'lookout' and the Autobots showed no signs of sending them on their merry way. Dom was wary of this fact, finding it suspicious that a group of aliens who were supposed to be some big secret were trusting two wanted fugitives.

Brian didn't think it had anything to do with trust, though they did seem to have the Twins'. In all likelihood it had more to do with honor. The Autobots were honor bound to help the two humans after they had helped some of their own.

Sam had more or less confirmed this during a conversation about the Autobots' intentions. "You help them, they'll help you. That's how they operate," Sam said while typing away at a laptop. Then he paused and turned his full attention to the two men. "Of course, if you were scum bags then you'd have been in jail by now. You're lucky Bumblebee gave you guys the okay."

It became obvious that while the youngest of Prime's officers, he held a lot of sway over his comrades. He was an uncanny judge of character, able to simply look at a person and know their heart and mind. The fact that they passed mustard so easily humbled Brian more than he would ever admit.

Gradually he and Dom relaxed and decided to just go with it. The Autobots' hideout was a good place to regroup and figure out where to go next.

It didn't seem likely that the feds would find them there, or at least that was the general consensus amongst the Prime and his crew. Of course, they had all overlooked one thing.

Their government liaison, one Reginald Simmons, wasn't as willing to let Brian and Dom's fugitive status slide.

ooooooooooooo

Dom knew that the very second Agent Simmons laid eyes on them that they were in trouble.

Sam didn't even look up from the paper work he and Sgt. Epps were working on when the government agent stomped over to the small group of humans lounging on and around Perceptor in his robot mode.

The scientist seemed to be enjoying himself as he ran passive scans on the organics scattered around. All except for Witwicky, who seemed to make the large Autobot nervous. The kid made all of the new arrivals nervous, though they themselves couldn't pinpoint why and Prime nor his officers weren't volunteering any information. Dom had to wonder if it was a matter trust or if the Autobot leader was waiting for their MIA tactician was found to spill the beans.

Either way, he did know that as young as the kid was he had to have seen some serious shit. His eyes looked ancient.

A shout tore Dom from his musing as the man who had 'Fed' written all over him stormed right up to Witwicky as he leaned back against Perceptor's outstretched leg. "Witwicky, what the hell is going on here!"

Sam ignored the government agent, continuing his conversation with Epps. "So, the latest report from Will says that he and Ironhide have finally got a hint of Prowl's signal and are in the process of zeroing in on it," he said, not taking his eyes off of the printout in his hands.

Epps own acknowledgement of Simmons was an amused look, as he nodded along to what the kid was saying. This did not improve the agent's mood any.

"Witwicky, I demand to know who these two men are. They aren't cleared to be on this base.

Sam looked up and gave the agent a bland look. "Neither are the new arrivals, but I don't see you complaining about them."

Perceptor spoke up before Simmons could tell the boy exactly where he could stick his 'new arrivals.' "Toretto and O'Connor assisted us in our journey here. As thanks Optimus has granted them a chance to rest here until they could decide what their next destination would be," he announced primly, his cultured tones rubbing Simmons the wrong way instantly.

It was at that point that some of the other Autobots wandered over. Sideswipe came bounding up to them and nearly dropped himself right in the scientist's lap. Sunstreaker and Bumblebee followed at a more subdued pace as the red Lamborghini started talking excitedly. 

"Percy, this planet is awesome! They've got official racing and underground racing and these sports that look like solar boarding, only it's on water or this solid slippery stuff called 'snow' and not solar winds and they have lying contests, can you believe it, they actually lie for sport here and…"

Through all of this Perceptor just stared at him with wide optics, occasionally looking to the humans for confirmation of certain claims. Simmons, realizing that he had lost everyone's attention and was not likely to win it back, stomped off to find Prime. He was generally more cooperative about giving answers.

Dom and Brian watched him leave and exchanged concerned looks. Sam leaned forward and murmured for their ears only, "You two might wanna' start seriously looking into where you're going. Reggie Simmons is a stubborn guy, he's not going to quit until he finds out just who you are."

Neither of them really had anything to say to that.

ooooooooooooo

Off all the odd things he'd seen since the attack on Qatar, nothing quite beat seeing a Lambo make himself comfortable in an CSU truck's lap while talking a mile a minute.

Epps watched all of this and wondered about the fact that the Autobots didn't seem to believe in personal space as he and Sam moved to avoid accidentally getting squashed by careless limbs. The newbies didn't seem to have grasped the fact that humans break easily yet.

Growing up as a tech and sci-fi geek, something the Air Force Sergeant wasn't the least bit ashamed to admit, he'd always assumed that an advanced robot species would be distant and refrain from physical contact. The fact that he'd given this any thought before he'd even met the Autobots didn't strike him as off either.

Cybertronians, or at least the Autobots, seemed to view physical contact as an integral part of social interaction. It was odd in a race that didn't require contact in most things, but perhaps it had more to do with mental and emotional needs than physical.

The scientists and medic were especially touchy-feely, poking and prodding at individuals to learn more about them or to reassure themselves that their friends and comrades were in one piece. Ratchet and his apprentice were constantly checking those around them for even the slightest problems, though Ratchet at least tried to be discreet about it.

It should have been unnerving to have Perceptor taking scans and even sometimes samples from the organics around him, but the scientist was always careful not to cause any physical discomfort. Honestly, Epps couldn't blame him for being curious. He was fascinated by Cybertronian technology and Perceptor was a good mech to ask questions and get real answers. 

Mikaela had once joked about the humans that were 'in-the-know' having their own robot partners. Epps thought about that and about the conversations he had already had with Perceptor about Earth and Cybertron tech. He thought about these things as Sunstreaker bodily dragged his over-enthusiastic brother off the poor scientist.

And as he made himself comfortable against his new friend's leg again, the human decided that he'd found his own partner.

Epps wondered if he could get away with calling the scientist 'Percy.'

ooooooooooooo****

Sam was more than a little annoyed when Simmons showed up again two days later, this time with federal agents who wanted to arrest Dominic and Brian.

Jazz had picked up their approach fairly early, giving the Autobots time to hide themselves and their guests from the outsiders. Simmons had seemed almost disappointed that the Autobots hadn't been caught with their metaphorical pants down.

The large gentleman who was apparently spearheading the fugitives' capture was even more of an ass than their usual government thorn. Sam hadn't thought anybody could beat Reggie for asshole-ness.

This Bilkins character was bad tempered, self-serving, and self-righteous. It made Sam feel all the more justified in lying to him.

"So, you don't know where O'Connor and Toretto are now," the federal agent asked, annoyed and disgusted with the military base's incompetence. Sam was undaunted.

"They were gone before anybody woke up this morning. We didn't know why until you guys showed up," he replied, not looking up from his laptop. Simmons always seemed to catch him while doing paperwork. The man had to be doing it on purpose.

"And you guys had no idea they were wanted fugitives until just now," Bilkins asked, suspicious. Sam gave him and annoyed look of his own. "Look, we've been through this already. They helped some new guys that got lost, find the base. We assumed they were backpackers and they seemed like nice enough guys so we offered them a place to stay for a while."

The look on Bilkins's face said he didn't believe a word Sam was saying, but he had no proof that the kid was lying so he let it go for now. "Mind if we look around a bit just to be sure," the fed asked, fingering the warrant in his pocket just in case the kid said 'no.' Christ, who put a kid in his early 20s in charge of a military base?

To his disappointment Sam just shrugged and told them to knock themselves out. "Also, I'd like Sgt. Epps to accompany you," Sam called out just before Simmons and Bilkins left the room.

They paused and gave the Army advisor questioning looks. "This base contains a lot of sensitive, unstable weaponry. Therefore there are areas that require a high military clearance. Clearance that the flimsy piece of paper in your pocket can't give you, Agent Bilkins."

Bilkins's eyes widened at that. He hadn't pulled the warrant out once. Witwicky finally looked up and met the visitor's eyes coolly. "We wouldn't want you to wander into dangerous areas you have no business being in, now do we?"

The fed found himself backing away from this boy that had to be almost half his age. There was something remarkably cold and dangerous about the look in the kid's eyes. And did his voice just change?

A hand came down on Bilkins's shoulder, startling him. Simmons was giving him a wry, knowing look and the fed felt as though there was some sort of joke here and it was on him. "Come on, let's go round up our guide and get this over with. Though I don't think you'll find anything useful."

Bilkins had to agree with that. Nothing could quite cover up a secret like the military.

ooooooooooooo

Simmons watched the federal agents pull away from the base in a strangely good mood. Bilkins hadn't appreciated having his time wasted. Not that he cared, but Reggie had enough enemies in his own government as it was, he didn't need more.

A shadow appeared on the ground beside his own. He turned to look over his shoulder and found Witwicky glaring at him with mild annoyance and not for the first time Simmons wondered if the boy was capable of real anger anymore.

"I'd like to say that I can't believe that you brought a bunch of outsiders to the base with out warning us first, but it's totally believable for you to do something like that," Sam commented, his tone resigned.

Simmons grinned as he replied, "Somebody has to keep you guys on your toes." Sam gave him a bland look and would have said something searingly sarcastic if his phone hadn't beeped. The kid pulled it out to read the text message on the tiny screen. A quick reply later and Witwicky was giving him a very not-nice smile.

"That was Prime confirming that the Feds are out of sensor range and it's okay for them to come out. He'd also like to have a few…words with you." Translation: Prime was pissed as hell and was going to verbally rip Simmons a new one.

The government agent nodded solemnly. He made himself comfortable leaning against the SUV he had arrived in. If Optimus wanted to talk, he could come to him.

Listening the to the footsteps of the approaching Autobots brought up a thought to Reggie's mind and he just had to ask. "So, did those two guys really beat feet?"

The sound of two high performance engines racing drowned out whatever response Witwicky had. Two Lamborghini's suddenly sped around a building, past the two humans, and through the gate.

Sam smirked at Simmons's stunned expression. "They have now."

ooooooooooooo

Brian watched the military base fade into the distance, already missing the mismatched team of humans and robots. They were an amazingly accepting bunch of individuals and he already felt like part the team after only five days.

Sighing, he turned to face forwards, to the open road and the red Lambo in front of him and Sunstreaker. He still couldn't believe that the Autobots were willing to help him and Dom run from the law.

Even more unbelievable still was that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had insisted on coming with them, putting themselves in hot water with the US government as well. All attempts at dissuading them were ignored, sometimes immaturely. ("LaLaLa, I'm not listening!" "Sides, don't be an idiot.")

Brian stared at the dashboard, the place his gaze always fell to while talking to one of the twins while inside them. "So," he said hesitantly, "Where to now?"

Sunstreaker was silent for a long while. Brian thought he might not answer at all until Sideswipe's voice suddenly came blaring through the speakers. "I hear Ireland's nice this time of year."


End file.
